Defining Self-Righteousness

As Christians, we must know the difference between self-righteousness and being righteous in God’s eyes. True righteousness comes only by faith in Christ and in His finished works; it has nothing to do with our works. This is important, because Satan’s plan is to attack the believer’s identity as the righteousness of God. Self-righteousness is defined as striving and working hard to get right with God, which is what religion tells us to do. If we struggle with unrighteous behavior, it is because we are struggling with who we are in Christ; as soon as we settle the issue of our identity, our behavior will begin lining up with our belief. We do not have to strive to perform perfectly, but simply believe in Him.